True Love
by shannyforever
Summary: ...when she looked at me and saw the sadness behind my smile in a way that no one else has ever been able to, she walked up to me and wrapped me up in her arms. In that moment, where no words were necessary, I realised that no one has ever understood me, looked after me, and loved me the way Maura Isles does...


Sometimes the toughest cases are the ones that are the easiest to solve. Like when a couple spend their whole lives together, having been teenage sweethearts; married by nineteen, three kids by twenty five, grandchildren by fifty. To have lived to ninety five years old and then have to face the idea of living the end of your life alone would have been the hardest thing in the world. So when I solved the case today and realised it was a euthanasia murder, suicide, I realised a few things.

The first of which was that the older I get, the more set in my ways I will become, and the harder it will be to find a man to spend my life with. The second thing I realised was that this was not going to make my Ma very happy. And the finally thing I realised was that I didn't feel lonely; I was not alone. This final thought turned out to be a life changer, for reasons that are about to become clearer.

After solving this case I made my way down to the morgue to visit my best friend, and I began to think about how lucky the elderly couple were that they found true love at such a young age. How lucky they were to have found true love at all. I thought about how wonderful it must have felt to have someone there for you, by your side, through sickness and in health, in good times and bad. I thought about how great it would be to have someone you could turn to when all else seems lost, or when your day/week/month is just not going to plan, and have them make everything just that little bit better. I thought about how lucky I would be if I found someone who got me, and who knew me, and loved me anyway. And as I walked into Maura's office and saw her sitting at her desk, smiling at me in greeting, turning my sad frown upside down, I realised that I already had all those things.

Not only that, but when she looked at me; at my smile, and saw the sadness behind my smile in a way that no one else has ever been able to, she walked up to me and wrapped me up in her arms. In that moment, where no words were necessary, I realised that no one has ever understood me, looked after me, and loved me the way Maura Isles does. When that realisation struck, and my arms around her tightened, and my breath hitched in my chest, and my heart started beating fast… that's when the whole world changed.

I felt the softness of her cheek against mine sending tingles prickling over my face and over my neck. For the first time, I felt how warm it felt in her arms. It was like coming home. I wasn't able to stop the whisper, "Maura", from escaping my lips as they passed over her ear. Then, with a gentle, airy kiss below her ear, I felt it… her arms tightened around me, the breath hitched in her chest, her heart started beating fast to match my own. "Jane", she whispered. And when I pulled back to look into her eyes, my hand coming up to her cheek to feel that soft skin again, I saw a look in her eyes that reflected the feelings that were swirling around in my heart.

It was love. It was my best friend standing in front of me, telling me with her eyes that she will always be there for me, by my side, through sickness and in health, in good times and bad. It was my best friends' eyes telling me that she wished she could hold me in her arms and take away my pain, and make everything just that little bit better. It was Maura telling me with one look that she knows me, and understands me, and loves me just the way I am. And although my heart was surprised by the revelation that the person who I am meant to spend my life with was right in front of me this whole time, it didn't take long to accept this admission, and seal it with a kiss. A kiss that was returned tenfold.

And when we parted, smiling and surprised by what had just transpired, I whispered the only three words that could express the way my heart was feeling.

"I love you."


End file.
